An international Cyber Security Exhibition and Computer Learning Zone has opened at Bletchley Park, as part of a five-year partnership with the home of the World War Two Codebreakers by the IT firm McAfee, part of Intel Security.
The partnership – the largest in McAfee’s history outside the US – will see workshops to educate visitors about the ever-evolving cyber threat. Children and adults alike will learn how the achievements of the World War Two Codebreakers remain relevant. The renovations of Block C, an area of Bletchley Park which has sat derelict for decades, have helped to preserve the heritage site as well as establish a centre for education.
The onsite learning will be supported by McAfee’s Online Safety for Kids programme, which sees McAfee staff volunteer to teach safe navigating of cyberspace. The IT company is sponsoring an Online Safety Education Officer, who will deliver the company’s Online Safety for Kids programme to schools that attend Bletchley Park.
Bletchley Park aims to attract 250,000 visitors a year and provide school visit facilities for more than 16,000 pupils each year.
Ross Allen, vice president of UK & Ireland at McAfee, said: “McAfee is incredibly proud to be working alongside such a vital part of British and world history. McAfee works tirelessly to protect against ever-increasing online threats and working with Bletchley Park Trust allows us to make a real impact on the cyber security education of visitors young and old.”
Iain Standen, CEO at Bletchley Park Trust said: “The work undertaken at Bletchley Park made a real difference and helped to change the course of history. With McAfee’s help, we hope to inspire the next generation of potential Codebreakers and cyber security experts to keep us safe in the digital world.”
Paul Gartside, UK vice president of product development at McAfee, said: “McAfee’s primary threat analysis centre for Europe, the Middle East and Africa is located nearby in Aylesbury. The partnership with Bletchley Park now benefits from the sharing of technology, equipment and intelligence by people at the leading edge of modern day threats.”
Meanwhile research has suggested that nearly three-quarter’s of the British public are unable to identify female leaders in technology. In tandem with the official launch of the Cyber Security Exhibition and Computer Learning Zone at Bletchley Park, the research pointed to the importance of encouraging women and men into technology and cybersecurity as careers.
Women were heavily involved in the codebreaking operation at Bletchley Park during World War Two. Out of the nearly 10,000 that worked at the site deciphering and decoding encrypted messages and ciphers, three-quarters were women. Almost 70 years on, McAfee and Bletchley Park Trust announce research on the role women play in technology.
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Cheryl Sandberg, Martha Lane-Fox, Marissa Mayer. According to the 4,000 UK adults surveyed by McAfee, the UK public were able to identify the men within that list, but when it came to the females, the nation struggled.
The male-female divide
When asked about the ten most well-known men in technology:
· 90pc of the nation had heard of Bill Gates
· 78pc recognised the name Mark Zuckerberg, famously of Facebook
· 70pc of respondents were familiar with Steve Jobs, formerly of Apple
However, given a similar list of leading ladies in the world of technology and IT working for some of the biggest global brands – Google, Yahoo, Lastminute.com and Microsoft:
· 72pc of UK individuals claimed to not recognise any of them
· Only 17pc of individuals knew of Martha Lane Fox, founder of Lastminute.com
· Only 8pc had heard of Cheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook
While females like Renee James, Intel President and Marissa Mayer, Google’s first female engineer and now Yahoo CEO, have been flying the flag for women in the technology industry, there is still the firm says a disconnect between the awareness of females in this domain, reaching the top. Interestingly, when comparing male and female responses, 77 per cent of UK women had not heard of any high-profile women in IT, compared to only 66pc of men, suggesting that although female role models exist, awareness with fellow females in particular, is still relatively low.
Redressing the imbalance
While it’s clear that women have long played a role in the technology industry, there is still work to be done to address the lack of diversity and gender equality in 21st century businesses, the IT firm says. Part of this comes from educating girls from a younger age – according to the research, only a quarter of the British public believe young girls have enough encouragement to pursue careers in the technology industry. What’s more, a half, 54pc of the females questioned believed young girls were not given enough encouragement to progress in the field.
Samantha Humphries-Swift, McAfee labs manager, said: “Women have always played an important role in the growth and development of the technology industry. Thousands of women famously worked tirelessly to break German codes and ciphers at Bletchley Park during World War II. At the forefront of the genesis of cybersecurity as we know it today, these women were the original female role models of modern computing. It’s this history, combined with the leaders in technology today that should serve to inspire current and future generations of both men and women into the world of IT.”
“Hubs like Bletchley Park, with McAfee’s support, are designed to encourage anyone, at any age, to take an interest and learn more about technology and cyber security,” said Raj Samani, CTO EMEA at McAfee. “We hope this initiative, along with others, will generate appeal amongst budding young coders or computer engineers – whether male or female – and create excitement, interest and opportunities within the industry.”
